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Title: Development of high-bandgap AlGaInP solar cells grown by organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy

Abstract

AlGaInP solar cells with bandgaps between 1.9 and 2.2 eV are investigated for use in next-generation multijunction photovoltaic devices. This quaternary alloy is of great importance to the development of III-V solar cells with five or more junctions and for cells optimized for operation at elevated temperatures because of the high bandgaps required in these designs. In this work, we explore the conditions for the organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy growth of AlGaInP and study their effects on cell performance. Initial efforts focused on developing ~2.0-eV AlGaInP solar cells with a nominal aluminum composition of 12%. Under the direct spectrum at 1000 W/m2 (AM1.5D), the best of these samples had an open-circuit voltage of 1.59 V, a bandgap-voltage offset of 440 mV, a fill factor of 88.0%, and an efficiency of 14.8%. We then varied the aluminum composition of the alloy from 0% to 24% and were able to tune the bandgap of the AlGaInP layers from ~1.9 to ~2.2 eV. Furthermore, while the samples with a higher aluminum composition exhibited a reduced quantum efficiency and increased bandgap-voltage offset, the bandgap-voltage offset remained at 500 mV or less, up to a bandgap of ~2.1 eV.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
  2. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
OSTI Identifier:
1249407
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5J00-65420
Journal ID: ISSN 2156-3381
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC36-08GO28308
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 6; Journal Issue: 3; Related Information: IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics; Journal ID: ISSN 2156-3381
Publisher:
IEEE
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; III-V semiconductor materials; photovoltaic cells; semiconductor epitaxial layers; solar energy

Citation Formats

Perl, Emmett E., Simon, John, Geisz, John F., Olavarria, Waldo, Young, Michelle, Duda, Anna, Friedman, Daniel J., and Steiner, Myles A.. Development of high-bandgap AlGaInP solar cells grown by organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1109/JPHOTOV.2016.2537543.
Perl, Emmett E., Simon, John, Geisz, John F., Olavarria, Waldo, Young, Michelle, Duda, Anna, Friedman, Daniel J., & Steiner, Myles A.. Development of high-bandgap AlGaInP solar cells grown by organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy. United States. https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2016.2537543
Perl, Emmett E., Simon, John, Geisz, John F., Olavarria, Waldo, Young, Michelle, Duda, Anna, Friedman, Daniel J., and Steiner, Myles A.. Tue . "Development of high-bandgap AlGaInP solar cells grown by organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy". United States. https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2016.2537543. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1249407.
@article{osti_1249407,
title = {Development of high-bandgap AlGaInP solar cells grown by organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy},
author = {Perl, Emmett E. and Simon, John and Geisz, John F. and Olavarria, Waldo and Young, Michelle and Duda, Anna and Friedman, Daniel J. and Steiner, Myles A.},
abstractNote = {AlGaInP solar cells with bandgaps between 1.9 and 2.2 eV are investigated for use in next-generation multijunction photovoltaic devices. This quaternary alloy is of great importance to the development of III-V solar cells with five or more junctions and for cells optimized for operation at elevated temperatures because of the high bandgaps required in these designs. In this work, we explore the conditions for the organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy growth of AlGaInP and study their effects on cell performance. Initial efforts focused on developing ~2.0-eV AlGaInP solar cells with a nominal aluminum composition of 12%. Under the direct spectrum at 1000 W/m2 (AM1.5D), the best of these samples had an open-circuit voltage of 1.59 V, a bandgap-voltage offset of 440 mV, a fill factor of 88.0%, and an efficiency of 14.8%. We then varied the aluminum composition of the alloy from 0% to 24% and were able to tune the bandgap of the AlGaInP layers from ~1.9 to ~2.2 eV. Furthermore, while the samples with a higher aluminum composition exhibited a reduced quantum efficiency and increased bandgap-voltage offset, the bandgap-voltage offset remained at 500 mV or less, up to a bandgap of ~2.1 eV.},
doi = {10.1109/JPHOTOV.2016.2537543},
journal = {IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics},
number = 3,
volume = 6,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Mar 29 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Tue Mar 29 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}

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